Apparatus for exhausting air from food containers



United States Patent [72] lnventors David Reznik,

Reehov Kabirim l0, Haifa;

Eliahu Dembo, Dekalim St. 14, Kiryat Biallk; Gershon Eckstein, Ilasport St. 1 1, Haifa, Israel [2i Appl. No. 750,649

[22] Filed Aug. 6, I968 Patented Sept. 22, I970 [32] Priority Aug. 8, I967 [33] Israel [54] APPARATUS FOR EXIIAUSTING AIR FROM FOOD Primary Examiner-Walter A. Scheel Assistant Examiner-Leon G. Machlin Attorney-Benjamin .l. Barish CONTAINERS Scwmzmwing Figs ABSTRACT: Apparatus for exhausting air from food con- U.S.Cl. 99/272 tainers comprises a vacuum tank open at opposite ends, a 1365b 31/00 shifter for shifting the vacuum tank from a-loading-unloading Field ol'Search 99/272, station to a vacuum-applying station and then back again, 2 feeding means for feeding a plurality of the food containers into the vacuum tank through oneopen end when it is at the 1 31A?" loading-unloading station, means at the vacuum-applying sta- 5/303, 3 49 tion for temporarily closing the open ends of the tank when located therein and for applying a vacuum to the tank, and a [56] conveyor for conveying away the food containers leaving the UNIT D STATES PATENTS vacuum tank through the other open end when the tank has 1,216,260 2/1917 Arnold 99/272 been returned to the loading-unloading station- CRPPING 13 8 9' w 9 8 I 1 1 1 1 I i l 7. 14 'Z L T I II I I 1 I l I 1 v I l i 0O 10 9 8 2 1O 9 8 3 I Patented Sept. 22, 1970 FIG.1

cAPPING I $OO0OQOOO'O 00000 1) FIG. 2

INVENTOR DAVID REZNIK ELIAHU DEM BO GERSHON ECKSTEIN APPARATUS FOR EXHAUSTING AIR FROM FOOD CONTAINERS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to apparatus for exhausting air from food containers. It is particularly, but not exclusively, useful with respect to the canning of preserves.

2. Description of the Prior Art In the canning of preserves, e.g. by the use of metal cans or glass jars, the preserves are usually subjected to a treatment for exhausting the air i.e. that contained in the cellular structure of the food product, that dissolved in the liquid or syrup, and also that contained in the space between pieces of the food product. One known process for accomplishing this is by the use of a hot water bath treatment, wherein the filled cans are passed through a hot water bath to expel the air. However, not all the air can be effectively removed from the can in this manner. In another known method, the individual cans are subjected to a vacuum. This method also is not completely satisfactory as it is not practical to apply the vacuum to each individual can for a considerable length of time, such as a minute, in order to exhaust all of the air. In addition, the containers must be sufficiently strong to resist the pressure applied when the interior is subjected to the vacuum.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION closing the two open ends of the vacuum tank when located BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention is herein described, somewhat diagrammatically and by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of one form of apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the operation of the apparatus of FIG. 1. v

With reference to FIG. 1, a row ofcans 1, each filled with preserves but not yet capped, is fed by a conveyor belt 2 onto a platform 3. Whenever a row of cans (five in the present case) is formed on platform 3, this row is shifted forwardly a distance equal to the diameter of the can, the shifting being performed, e.g., by a pneumatic pushing device 4. A detecting device 5, such as a microswitch or alight sensitive photo-cell, detects when the row of cans has been fed to the predetermined position for operation of pusher 4, the latter pushing the row of cansin the direction of arrow 6.

A vacuum tank 7 is provided in alignment with platform 3, the tank being open at one end for receiving the rows of cans as they are pushed in the direction of arrow 6 by pusher 4. The opposite end of vacuum tank 7 is also open and provides an exit for the food cans at a later stage in the operation of the apparatus. The illustrated position of vacuum chamber 7 in FIG. 1 (i.e., in alignment with platform 3) is thus the loading-unloading station.

therein and for applying a vacuum to the tank, and conveyor means for conveying away the food containers leaving the vacuum tank through the other open end thereof when the vacuum tank has been returned to the loading-unloading statron.

According to further features of the invention, the feeding means comprises a conveyor for conveying a row of food cans to the vacuum tank in alignment with one open end, and a pusher member for pushing the aligned row of food cans into the vacuum tank. A detecting device, such as a switch or photocell system, is provided for detecting when a row of food cans has been fed into alignment with the open end of the vacuum tank and for automatically operating the pusher member to push the aligned row into the vacuum tank.

According to a still further feature, there are included two of said vacuum tanks and two of said vacuum-applying stations, each of said vacuum-applying stations being located at one side of said loading-unloading station, said two vacuum chambers being shifted together by said shifting means so that when one of said tanks is in the loading-unloading station, the other is in one of said vacuum-applying stations, and when said other tank is in the loading-unloading station, said one tank is in the other of said vacuum-applying stations.

Since the vacuum tank includes a large number of cans, the vacuum may be applied to the cans for a sufficiently long period of time to ensure that all the air is removed. Further, since the same vacuum pressure is applied to both the internal and external surfaces of the cans, the apparatus may be used with cans having thin walls, which could not resist collapsing if used with the prior known techniques of exhausting the individual cans. In addition, the apparatus described may be operated in a continuous manner.

Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description below.

When the required number of rows of cans have been pushed into vacuum chamber 7, so as to completely fill the chamber, it isshifted to a second station called the vacuumapplying station. In this case, it is shifted rightwardly to the broken-line position illustrated in FIG. 1. At this station its 0pposite ends are temporarily closed by a pair of walls or doors 8. A vacuum is then applied to tank 7 through a conduit 9, and the vacuum is maintained for a sufficient period e.g., one minute, of time to ensure a satisfactory exhaustion of the air from the cans. After the air has been substantially completely exhausted, the vacuum is broken by admitting an inert gas, such as nitrogen or air, through inlet 10. The two walls 8 are then opened, and the tank is reshifted back (leftwardly) to its original loading-unloading position. More cans are then fed into tank 7 by the pusher device 4. The cans at the opposite end of the tank, from which the air has already been exhausted, are thereby pushed out into a platform 11 and then to conveyor 12 for conveying them away, such as to a capping device I3.

In order to have the apparatus operate continuously, a second vacuum chamber 7' is provided, the latter being attached to the first chamber 7, as by connections schematically illustrated at 14. Similarly, a second vacuum-applying station is provided (to the left, in FIG. 1) including closable doors 8', vacuum-applying conduits 9', and vacuum-breaking conduit 10'. It will thus be been that when vacuum chamber 7 is in the loading-unloading station, as illustrated in FIG. I, the second vacuum chamber 7 is in the vacuum-applying station to the left of it; and that when the two tanks have been shifted (rightwardly), tank 7 is now in the vacuum-applying station, and tank 7' is in the loading-unloading station.

The cans may thus be continuously fed, alternately filling tank 7 and 7' from one end, and exiting from the opposite end of the tanks, both in a continuous manner.

The shifting arrangement may be operated by a counter which counts the number of rows of food cans fed into the vacuum tank so as to operate the shifting means after a predetermined count'has been reached.

A control system that may be used in the apparatus of FIG.

1 is schematically illustrated in FIG. 2. The detector switch 5 is operated by the end can, indicating that a row of cans has been aligned with the open end of the vacuum tank 7. It controls fluid motoror valve 14 to actuate pusher member 4. Each actuation of detector switch 5 is registered by a counter 15, and after a predetermined count has been reached, sufficient to fill the vacuum tank, the counter controls a fluidmotor 16 to shift the two tanks 7 and 7', as described above.

After a predetermined count has been reached in this new position, the two tanks are shifted back to their original positions, as also described above.

It will be appreciated that many changes, variations and applications of the illustrated embodiment may be made.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for exhausting air from food containers, comprising a vacuum tank open at opposite ends thereof, shifting means for shifting said vacuum tank from a loading-unloading station to a vacuum-applying station and then back to said loading-unloading station, feeding means for feeding a plurality of the food containers into said vacuum tank through one open end thereof when said vacuum tank is at said loading-unloading station, means at said vacuum-applying station for temporarily closing said open ends of the vacuum tank when located therein and for applying a vacuum to the tank, and conveyor means for conveying away the food containers leaving the vacuum tank through the other open end thereof when the vacuum tank has been returned to said loading-unloading station.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said feeding means comprises a conveyor for conveying a row of food cans to said vacuum tank in alignment with said one open end thereof, and a pusher member for pushing the aligned row of food cans into the vacuum tank.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 2, further including a detecting device for detecting when a row of food cans has been fed into alignment with said one open end of the vacuum tank and for automatically operating said pusher member to push said aligned row into the vacuum tank.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 2, further including a counting device for counting the number of rows of food cans fed into said vacuum tank and for operating said shifting means after a predetermined count has been reached.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said vacuum-applying station also includes means for introducing an inert gas into the vacuum tank subsequent to the application of the vacuum. I

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein there are included two of said vacuum tanks and two of said vacuum-applying stations, each of said vacuum-applying stations being located at one side of said loading-unloading station, said two vacuum chambers being shifted together by said shifting means so that when one of said tanks is in the loading-unloading station, the other is in one of said vacuum-applying stations, and when said other tank is in loading-unloading station, said one tank is in the other of said vacuum-applying stations. 

